Trail lock



Sept. 21 1926. 1,600,302

7 H. c. ZIMMERMAN v 0 TRAIL LOCK Filed April 1. 1926 H- B Zimmerman I} E @WWZ my W Patented Sept. 2i, lQZti.

UNITED S EATEd -renr TRAIL Application filed April 1,

(GRANTED UNDER 'lI-ZII ACT 6 The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any oi its oil".- cers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon in accordance with the act of lillarch 3, 1883.

This invention relates to a trail lock.

in gun carriages of the split trail type the trail members are swung together and locked when the carriage is to be hooked to its lim'ber for traveling. Frequently in traveling over rough country the lock will be rred open permitting one of the trails to tall to the ground with ensuing damage to the carriage.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a simple and etlective trail lock which may be readily operated without removal to quickly couple and uncouple the trails.

To these and other ends, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination or" elements as described herei atter and pointed out in the claims forming part of this specification.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

0 F 1 and 2 are fragmentary plan views respectively of the right and left trail members equipped with my improved lock;

Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in section showing the trails connected but not locked;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the trails locked;

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the position of the locking members when the trails are incompletely connected; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views, respectively, in plan and elevation of the latch.

There is shown a pair of trail members 5 and 6 of a gun carri which perform the usual junction of stabilizing the carriage during firing and serving as a connection by means of which the carriage may be coupled to a limber for traveling. Inasmuch as only one of the trails, in the present instance the right hand trail member 5, is provided with a lunette 7 for attachment with the limber the two trails must be securely locked together.

To this end of the trails is provided with a stud 8, preferably tapered and conven- 5 iently formed on the shank of the lunette 1926. Serial No. 59,685.

MARCH 3, 1833; 22 STAT. L. 625.

and this stud into a correspondingly shaped in the other t i men lrer f3. 1 0 is mounted in trio i 3 so as to intersect a portion of the aperture and this latch is former. with ZQCESSUQl portion 11 shaped to correspond to the aperture so that in a certain position of the latch the stud may clearly enter. T is stud is also formed with av recess 8 which when the stud is telly inserted is in position opposite the recessed portion of the latch. By simply turning the latch it will enter the recess in the stud forcing the stud home and securely holding it against removal. The latch is secured against removal by means of a snap hook l2 chained to the trail and engageable in an eye 18 on the latch handle. in order to indicate the locking and unlocking position of the latch it is provided with a plate 1a whose ends are brought up against a stop pin 15.

If it should happen that trails are incompletely closed and the stud consequently not fully inserted in the aperture as indicated in Fig. 5 the latch on being turned to locking position will pick up the stud and drive it home.

I claim:

1. In a trail lock a pair of trail members, one of which is formed with a tapered aperture, a tapered stud formed on the other trail member and positioned to enter said aperture when the trails are closed, a latch mounted in the trail provided with the aperture and positioned to intersect said aperture, said latch formed with a recess conforming to the outline of the aperture so as to permit entry of the stud and the stud formed with a recess for receiving the latch when said latch is turned.

2. In a trail lock, a pair of trail members, one of which is formed with atapered aperture, a tapered stud formed on the other trail member and positioned to enter said aperture when the trails are closed, a latch mounted in the trail provided with the aperture and positioned to intersect said aperture, said latch formed with a recess to permit entry of the stud and the stud formed with a recess for receiving the latch when said latch is turned.

3. In a trail lock, :1 pair of trail members, one formed with a tapered aperture and the other provided with a tapered stud receivable in said. aperture, a latch mounted in the trail having the aperture and said latch and stud formed with registering recesses, the latch movable to one position to permit entry of the stud and movable to another position to engage in the recess of the stud.

4. In a trail lock, a pair of trail members, one formed with an aperture and the other provided with a stud receivable in said aperture, a latch mounted in the trail haw ing the aperture, and said latch and stud formed with registering recesses, the latch movable to one position to permit entry of the stud and movable to another position to engage in the recess of the stud.

5. In a trail lock, a pair of trail members. one formed with an aperture and the other provided with a stud receivable in said aperture, a latch mounted in the trail having the aperture, said latch movable to one position to permit entry of the stud and movable to another position to engage the stud.

6. In a trail lock, a pair of trail members, one formed with an aperture and the other provided with a stud receivable in said aperture, a latch mounted for rotation in the trail member having the aperture, said latch formed so that when moved to one po sition it will clear the aperture and when moved to another position it will obstruct the aperture.

7. In a trail look, a pair of trail members, one formed with an aperture and the other provided with a stud having a recess and a locking member mounted in the trail having the aperture and arranged to enter the recess in the stud to drive it home and hold it against removal.

HARRY C. ZIMMERMAN. 

